Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Edwin (“Ed”) M. Baum and Alan B. Howard have joined the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice as partners in the New York office. Ed and Alan will join the Securities Litigation and Business Litigation subgroups, respectively.

“Ed and Alan are tremendously important hires for the New York office and key to our continued market expansion,” said Keith Miller, Perkins Coie’s New York Office Managing Partner. “Their impressive backgrounds and reputations are consistent with the firm’s emphasis on professional excellence, and they will help us continue to display strong value to our clients regionally and beyond.”

Ed concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions and securities/financial services litigation, working with companies in the pharmaceutical, information technology, financial services, automotive, transportation and industrial products sectors.

He advises clients on shareholder derivative actions involving securities laws and class action suits, as well as matters related to breach of fiduciary duty, corporate governance disputes, lender liability, creditors’ rights, business torts and action plans to minimize financial services litigation risk.

Ed received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and earned his B.S., with honors, from Cornell University. He joins the firm from Crowell & Moring, where he led the litigation practice in New York, and was managing partner of the firm’s New York office and a member of the firmwide Management Board for three years. Ed also serves on the boards and as chair or executive officer of several college, community and philanthropic organizations.

Alan brings more than 25 years of litigation and arbitration experience focused on complex commercial contract disputes, cross-border litigation and international mediations. He has successfully tried high-stakes contract claims, securities claims and business torts in a range of industries, including transportation, manufacturing, telecommunications, and agriculture. Alan also serves as counsel to fintech companies.

Alan brings an impressive background in community and pro bono work. He is the former chair of the Board of Directors of the Southern Poverty Law Center and was named Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2016 by Public Justice. He was also selected by the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service as a recipient of the 2014 ABA Pro Bono Publico Award. Alan received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University. Like Ed, Alan joins Perkins Coie from Crowell & Moring, where he was a partner.

“Ed and Alan are first-chair trial litigators of the highest caliber,” said John Devaney, Firmwide Managing Partner.  “Bringing them on board will strengthen our footprint in New York and round out our business and securities litigation teams nationally.”

These additions follow on Perkins Coie’s recent announcement that the firm will move to a cutting-edge and versatile new workspace in New York next year to accommodate its recent significant growth. The larger space will be located at 1155 Avenue of the Americas.

Perkins Coie has more than 400 litigation attorneys across the country who have extensive jury and bench trial experience in major state and federal jurisdictions and at every appellate level through the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm regularly represents clients in proceedings before a range of federal and state administrative agencies, such as state utilities and regulatory agencies and commissions, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service and, in collaboration with foreign counsel, before administrative and judicial bodies in numerous other countries.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,000 lawyers in 19 offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.